Anniversary Anniversary - Wellesley College

2
January 2007
Every June for the past 13 years I have had the distinct
pleasure of participating in the annual meeting of the
Wellesley Students’ Aid Society. Held during Reunion
Weekend, the meeting is always low-key. It is organized
and attended by a small but intrepid group of alumnae
volunteers, and invariably includes a riveting talk by a
graduating senior who takes our breath away with her
grace, and poise, and courage. I love the way that annual
gathering reminds everyone assembled of the cycles of
generosity, stewardship, and empowerment that continue
to animate and sustain our alma mater.
I’ve always admired the way the Students’ Aid Society
holds on to its history and carries it forward with purpose into the future. The legacy of
Pauline Durant — the wife of Wellesley’s founder — is palpable at those Society meetings,
and I have learned from them to think of Henry and Pauline Durant as co-founders
of the college. The Students’ Aid Society was very much Pauline’s cause, kept alive
these many years in tribute to her and to her vision of a college that would equally value
the “calico” and the “velvet” girl.
I’m grateful each year for the opportunity to express my appreciation to the hardworking
staff and volunteers who keep the Society alive. Student aid has become big
business as comprehensive fees have grown. Fortunately, Wellesley’s generous donors
have enabled the college to maintain a need-blind admission policy and to meet the full
fi nancial need of all students we admit. As a result of these commitments, more and
more students have come to depend on sizeable college-administered grants and loans
to afford a Wellesley education. More than half of our students cover some or all of their
tuition and fees through the fi nancial aid program administered by the college’s student
fi nancial services department. These professionals are sensitive, thoughtful, and caring in
the way they do their work.
But the Students’ Aid Society is different — smaller and less bound by rules. It has a
personal touch and the fl exibility to reach out to students and help with a great variety
of fi nancial hardships and emergencies as they arise. The testimonials from students
who have been the recipients of this support communicate what an important role the
Society plays, not only with material help when it is most urgently needed, but also with
affection and a connection of unconditional mutuality. It is this connection that inspires
those same recipients to reach out to future students, when they’re in a position to help.
On the occasion of the 90 th anniversary of the Students’ Aid Society I want to express
my deep gratitude to the many donors who have given of their time and their treasure
over many years to keep this effort alive, and to the volunteers and staff who run the
Society so effectively, ensuring that students are treated with warmth, compassion, and
dignity and always with the utmost respect. It is an impressive story — a Wellesley story
— in which we can all take great pride.